The Return of Bold & Beautiful’s Ridge Sets the Stage For An Epic Battle Years in the Making!

Sorry, Ridge, but you’re definitely going to be taking some heat! 

Talk about bad timing! Just when both of his families needed him most, The Bold and the Beautiful‘s Ridge said, “You know what? I need to get outta town for a while. I need to find myself.” As it happens, when he returns today, what he’s going to find is that things have changed an awful lot in his absence… and that he might finally have to face the music where at least one person he’s repeatedly wronged is concerned!

After being dumped by both Taylor and Brooke but before skipping town, Ridge presided over a meeting which resulted in son Thomas being kicked out of both the Forrester clan and the family company. But since then, one of the company’s most notable lines, Hope for the Future, did a very public faceplant on the runway, resulting in bad reviews and a cash deficit.

Quicker than you can say “fix it,” Steffy was putting Hope between a rock (rehire Thomas as lead designer) and a hard place (lose HFTF), and Thomas was doing an apology tour. And it was while trying to convince Brooke that he’d changed that Thomas indicated he finally knew who to blame for messing him up, and it wasn’t the blonde.

That’s right, Ridge, he was talking about you.

Were it only because Ridge so quickly jumped on the “run him out of town on a rail” bandwagon, that would be enough to justify his son’s anger. But like Brooke and Taylor, it seems Thomas has finally wised up to the fact that the one breaking his mom’s heart over and over again was the man who spent decades playing out a real-life version of Wife Swap.

Now that Thomas finally knows at whom his pent-up rage should be directed, it’s time for the younger man to seek revenge. With any luck, that whole “framing Brooke for the CPS call” will look like child’s play (pun intended). Because while we’ve long advocated for a truly reformed Thomas, that doesn’t mean he can’t use his formidable skills to punish his pop… and without breaking a single law or even doing anything shady.

More: Would Douglas really use dad Thomas’ tricks?

At the moment, Thomas’ first priority is to help Hope get her line back on track. But assuming his latest designs prove as successful as was his most recent show, the world could very well be his oyster. Which would put him in a powerful position… perhaps so much so that he might tell Ridge that he’s through being hired and fired at the whim of his father and sister, the co-CEO’s of Forrester Creations. In fact, he plans to not only leave the company but start a new fashion house… and he’s taking Hope with him!

More: Sheila’s comeuppance at last?!?

Sure, it’s unlikely they would be able to continue the Hope for the Future line, which would be owned by Forrester Creations,. But Hope and Thomas could launch a new line with financing from, say, Ridge’s arch enemy, Bill Spencer! Why would Hope even consider leaving Forrester? Because if recent events taught her nothing else, it’s just how valuable Thomas’ designs are to her vision.

As an added bonus, imagine how Liam — who has made it clear he disapproves of the partnership, even preferring his wife’s line to shut down to the idea of her working with Thomas — would react. Talk about big drama!

Best of all, it would all lead to the kind of runway showdown which longtime Bold & Beautiful fans both remember fondly and miss terribly! Perhaps Ridge and Thomas could even put the ultimate prize on the line: the top job at Forrester Creations!

Join us in remembering some of Thomas’ past triumphs, challenges and battles in the gallery below.